Album Reviews

This section includes a running list of the music reviews we publish. We also publish a lot of interviews, curate playlists, and podcast. Want to submit your music?

Flutists Steve Markoff and Patricia Lazzara present Timeless – Hits of Love and Hope from Pop, Rock and Soft Rock

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman January 6, 2020 12:35 pm Tagged With: flute, New Jersey, Pop, Rock, United States

Northern New Jersey based flutists Steve Markoff and Patricia Lazzara joined forces with pianist Allison Brewster Franzetti for an exciting new album titled Timeless. Timeless is a collection of well known songs from the genres of pop, rock and soft rock which this highly talented trio has transformed into flute and piano driven cover songs. […]

Noah James Hittner Releases Best Music Yet! Jam His Acousti-tronic, Genre-Blending Album – Willing

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman December 10, 2019 10:14 am Tagged With: Acoustic, acoustic rock, Alternative, Blues, folk rock, Hip Hop, indie rock, Rock, singer, songwriter, United States, Wisconsin

Love gritty blues guitar? Love acoustic driven rock? Love it when the artist isn’t afraid to blend genres? Neither do I which is why Noah James Hittner‘s new album, Willing, is one of my favorites of 2019. In the sake of transparency, I’m good friends with Noah. But it wasn’t always like that. I first […]

To Love Somebody, Marva Holiday and Joseph Chambers Join Forces for Passionate, Soulful Single

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman December 10, 2019 9:18 am Tagged With: Jazz, Pop, Soul

Marva Holiday is a veteran to music creation and the business of music. As we all know, the business side of this music thing can be rough and cutthroat. Marva experienced this first hand, mostly in the form of ageism. In her words, It’s difficult for female performers who are middle-aged and older to return […]

Rob Alexander Releases New Album, Being Myself – Jam the New Single, Friend of Mine (Elton’s Epic), Now

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman December 10, 2019 8:48 am Tagged With: Florida, Pop, pop rock, singer, songwriter, United States

South Florida based singer/songwriter/physician/Anesthesiologist Rob Alexander has delivered his latest album, Being Myself. Included in this album is a really special track, Friend of Mine (Elton’s Epic), that serves not only as a radio-ready, contemporary pop jam but also as a tribute and homage to Elton John. Friend of Mine (Elton’s Epic) tells the story […]

American Fever Deliver Epic Rock and Roll, Passionate Performances on New Single, Sunday Morning

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman December 9, 2019 9:10 am Tagged With: indie, indie rock, New York, New York City, Rock, United States

Brooklyn based indie rockers American Fever have delivered their latest jam titled Sunday Morning. This classic rock infused, operatic and quite epic tune is guaranteed to stimulate your senses, rock your socks off, and have you checking back in for repeat plays. Despite the songs slow, piano driven beginning, it builds into quite the wall […]

Anna Claire Loftis Delivers Moving, Cinematic, Ambient Pop Single, Listen to Motion Sickness Now

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman December 6, 2019 12:55 pm Tagged With: ambient, indie pop, Pop, singer, songwriter

Singer/songwriter Anna Claire Loftis wasn’t prepared for the unexpected plot twist that occurred during her family trip to Oregon. That unexpected twist found her and her family…and their car…at the bottom of a cliff. Going back to that event, Anna says, Seriously, we all almost died that day. It was laughably one of the worst […]

Break Your Love Apart, Listen to Bittersweet Machines’ Lead Single – New Album Now Available!

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman December 5, 2019 9:54 am Tagged With: alternative rock, indie rock, North Carolina, Pop, pop rock, Rock, singer, songwriter, United States

Bittersweet Machines landed on my radar last year with the release of No Bad Horizon. More recently, I featured the new album The Stars and Ground. The focus now is the lead single off the new album, Break Your Love Apart. Introducing the song with a beautifully played acoustic guitar melody, Matt’s passionate voice leads […]

Bittersweet Machines Packs Powerful Pop Sensibilities Into Infectious Alt-Rock Soundscapes, The Stars and Ground Available Now

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman December 4, 2019 12:34 pm Tagged With: alternative rock, indie rock, North Carolina, pop rock, Rock, singer, songwriter, United States

It was approximately a year ago when North Carolina based Bittersweet Machines managed to thoroughly impress me. When listening to the No Bad Horizons album (feature article here), what seemed like a group of talented musicians turned out to be a one-man show. Bittersweet Machines is back with a new album. The title is The […]

Get Ready for the Exciting Sounds of Pork Pie Hat’s Jazz Rock Fusion on their new album Giotto Groove

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman November 25, 2019 3:12 pm Tagged With: Europe, Germany, jazz, jazz fusion

Looking for some jazz rock fusion you can groove to for an extended period of time over the coming holiday breaks? I thought you’d say yes, and I have just the album to deliver the sonic goods. The album is Giotto Groove. The band is Germany based Pork Pie Hat. Consisting of Thomas Wolff (guitars, […]

Geoff Gibbons Delivers Delightful, Pop Leaning, Acoustic Roots Rock on Follow You, Listen Now

by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman November 25, 2019 2:24 pm Tagged With: acoustic rock, Americana, Canada, Folk, folk rock, Roots, roots rock, singer, songwriter

It’s always a pleasure when Geoff Gibbons pops up in my inbox. Geoff recently released his newest single. The title is Follow You. A veteran roots rocker, Gibbons leans into pop-friendly, radio-ready, acoustic rock territory with this delightful, uplifting, melodically rich and easily memorable jam. Geoff’s soothing vocals are backed by top notch musicianship. With […]